The Deception of Narcissa Malfoy
by JailyForever
Summary: After years of trying and years of losing hope, Narcissa to makes a decision which will lead to a lifetime of hiding the truth from her husband. Very much an AU. Written for QL: Season 5 Round 3. Many thanks to my team-mates who beta'd


**Team:** HolyHead Harpies

 **Position:** Keeper

 **Prompt:** Write about a Truth being hidden from somebody

 **Word Count:** 2821

* * *

The Deception of Narcissa Malfoy

It was that time of the month again. The time of the month when Narcissa told her husband whether or not they had been successful in their attempts to conceive.

She sat down across from her husband at the dining room table, ready to deliver the news.

"Well," Lucius asked, not glancing up from his paper. He never did and Narcissa knew this was so he could mask his disappointment if she told him she wasn't expecting. She wished she didn't have to make him feel that way. Their struggle was just as hard on him as it was on her.

"Lucius, I'm pregnant," Narcissa told her husband.

Lucius glanced up from his paper, a huge grin gracing his face. It warmed her heart to see her husband smile after so many months of grimaces every time she had to deliver the devastating news that she had started her period.

"Are you sure, Narcissa?" he asked, wariness crossing his features.

"Positive," she replied. "We're going to have a child."

"That's marvellous news!" Lucius exclaimed. "We must make arrangements for you to stay with family, away from this war. After what happened last time, I want you away from the stress of our day to day activities. Perhaps you could stay with your sister, Andromeda? Now that she is on our side, I think she would be the most suitable choice."

Narcissa nodded her head in agreement. She had hoped that he would suggest this arrangement without her having to subtly guide him in that direction.

"That sounds most agreeable," she replied. "I will send her an owl immediately."

~o~o~o~

The next day, Narcissa was settling into life at Andromeda's house, unpacking her clothes into the chest of drawers in the guest bedroom. When she had completed the mundane task, she sat down on the bed and allowed the reality of what she had done started to set in.

She had lied to her husband and, if she didn't come up with a solution soon, the consequences of her betrayal would be devastating.

Narcissa lay down on the bed, hugging a pillow close to her as tears began to flow. She knew there was no going back now, and she didn't think she could bear to see the look on Lucius' face if she told him she had 'miscarried' their child. The last time had been difficult enough.

"Cissy, I made you a cup of hot chocolate," Andromeda said, knocking on the bedroom door. "I included a special ingredient which is supposed to aid the development of babies in the first trimester."

Narcissa sat up on the bed and wiped away the tears as the bedroom door was pushed open. She didn't want her sister to know that she had been crying. There would only be an onslaught of questions she didn't want to answer.

"Thank you, Andy," she whispered, her voice hoarse from all the crying.

"You've been crying," Andromeda stated, giving her a knowing look. "Why?"

"I haven't been crying," Narcissa lied.

"You're eyes are red and bloodshot, Cissy," she stated. "Plus, you're my sister and I've known you my whole life. I know you well enough to know when you've been crying. So I ask again, why have you been crying?"

Narcissa could see the genuine concern on her sister's face and she considered admitting the truth to her. But could she be trusted with the truth? Had it been Bellatrix in front of her, the answer would be no.

"Cissy, you can trust me," Andromeda told her, sitting down on the bed. "You can tell me anything."

Something in Andromeda's voice reassured Narcissa. Something told her that she could be trusted with the knowledge of her lie.

"I'm not pregnant," Narcissa admitted.

"Why did you say you were?" Andromeda asked.

"Lucius and I have been trying for a baby for so long," Narcissa explained. "I couldn't tell him I had failed him again, especially after the miscarriage a few months ago. I couldn't do it to him. What am I going to do, Andy?"

"I don't know," Andromeda replied. "Have you considered telling Lucius the truth?"

"And break his heart again!" Narcissa exclaimed. "I won't do it. I just—I need a child. I need for us to have a child before he decides I'm damaged goods."

Andromeda wrapped her arms around Narcissa as she broke down into tears.

"Don't worry, Cissy," she whispered, stroking her sister's hair. "We'll think of a solution, together."

Narcissa lifted her head and stared at her sister through glassy eyes. "Thank you."

"Since we're confessing our sins, I have a confession of my own," Andromeda said softly. "I never killed Ted."

"What!" Narcissa exclaimed, removing herself from her sister's arms and looking at her in pure shock. "How is that possible? There were witnesses. Bellatrix herself was there and testified to the Dark Lord that he was dead."

"It was a lie," Andromeda confessed, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "I gave him a potion which would give him the appearance of being dead for twenty four hours. When he came around, I wiped Ted's memory and manipulated him into relocating to America far beyond _his_ reach. I had to protect Ted before he was murdered in cold blood like so many other Muggle-borns."

"Oh, Andy," Narcissa whispered, embracing her sister. "That must have been so hard for you."

"You cannot tell a soul," Andromeda told her. "Promise you won't say anything."

"I promise," Narcissa said. "Your secret is safe with me."

"And yours with me," Andromeda vowed.

~o~o~o~

Seven months had passed by since Narcissa had come to stay with Andromeda, and in that time they had come up with a plan—a plan which would protect Lucius from discovering the truth and give Narcissa the child she wanted.

In that time, Lucius had made a point of visiting at least once a month, and each time Narcissa felt tremendous guilt, knowing that it was all a lie. He had shown more affection and concern in the last seven months than he had in all the years she had known him combined. If Narcissa hadn't known any better she would have thought her husband was under the Imperius Curse. The way he was acting only made the pain of lying to him even worse. Her only comfort was that there was a plan in place to ensure that her husband never discovered her deception.

"What time will Lucius be arriving?" Andromeda asked, setting down a cup of tea in front of her sister.

"His letter said he would be here around half past ten," Narcissa answered, taking a sip from her tea. "So he should arrive in the next hour unless there has been a last minute change of plan."

"Well, you had best drink up," Andromeda instructed. "You don't want to have another close call like last month."

Narcissa nodded her head as she continued to drink her tea, recalling how Lucius had arrived early and almost found her as her usual slender self instead of with a swollen belly. It had been fortuitous that she had been in the bathroom at the time. She'd had to pretend she was being sick for at least fifteen minutes before the potion finally kicked in and swelled her stomach. It had torn her apart to see how Lucius doted on her for the rest of the afternoon, asking if there was anything she needed, or if there was anything he could do to soothe her sickness.

With each and every visit he made, the agony of her lie increased tenfold, and she suspected that this time it would not be any easier.

 _Just a couple more months left,_ Narcissa thought as she drained her teacup.

At ten thirty on the dot, the front door of the cottage opened, signalling Lucius' arrival. Although her husband loathed the one mile walk from the outskirts of the wards, he had insisted upon them for the protection of his wife and unborn child. Narcissa had been quite relieved when he had originally suggested this and readily agreed to it because it removed any chance of being completely caught off guard by Lucius if he decided to show up unexpectedly.

"Narcissa," he said, greeting his wife before crouching down in front of her and touching her swollen belly. "My heir."

Lucius stayed with her for the rest of the morning. His visit going as every other visit had gone. He provided her with an update on how the cause was proceeding before he quizzed her about the pregnancy, making sure that she was going to see the midwife and apologising for being unable to accompany her—to which she responded as she always did saying that it didn't matter and the Dark Lord's cause was more important, whilst secretly being grateful for the fact that he was being kept so busy. Had he not been kept busy, it would have been one of the few things which could expose her deception.

Before long, Lucius was summoned by the Dark Lord, cutting his visit short. He apologised profusely for being unable to stay any longer before departing the cottage.

With him gone, Narcissa breathed a sigh of relief. The pretence of pretending to be pregnant and still nowhere near finding an appropriate source for a child was taking its toll on her.

She placed her hand on her still swollen belly and a tear slid down her cheek.

"How I wish you were really full with a child," she said sadly.

~o~o~o~

Narcissa's 'due date' was fast approaching and she was receiving daily owls from her husband enquiring after the wellbeing of his heir. With no sign of a child she could adopt as her own, she was beginning to worry that her plan would fail.

"Andy, what am I going to do if we don't find a child?" she asked her sister.

"We will cross that bridge when we come to it," Andromeda replied. "But I have every faith that we will find one. I promised to help you and I do not break my promises."

"But—"

Narcissa was cut off by an owl fluttering in through the open window and dropping a letter in Andromeda's lap.

"Who is it from?" Narcissa quizzed as her sister opened the letter. This was the first time during her stay that Andromeda had received a letter from anyone.

Andromeda remained silent as she scanned the contents of the letter before answering.

"This could be the answer to your problem," she simply said, tucking the letter back into the envelope.

"Care to elaborate?" Narcissa asked, frowning as her sister stood up from the kitchen table.

"You'll find out tonight," Andromeda replied.

Without providing any opportunity for her to quiz her anymore about the contents of the letter, Andromeda left the kitchen and Narcissa alone with her thoughts.

 _What did she mean by the 'answer' to my problem?_ Narcissa thought to herself, and it was a thought she carried around with her for the rest of the day.

~o~o~o~

At six o'clock that evening, just after they had finished tea, there was a knock at the front door.

"I'll get it," Andromeda said, standing up from her chair and quickly leaving the dining room.

Narcissa wondered who could be calling round at her sister's house. It had to be connected to the letter from earlier that day—it was the only thing that made any sense— especially when she considered the fact that in the time she had stayed at the cottage, the only person who come to visit was Lucius.

Andromeda returned a couple of minutes later, closely followed by Albus Dumbledore.

Narcissa reached for her wand and pointed it at the elderly wizard. "What is he doing here?" she hissed at her sister. "The Dark Lord would murder you on the spot if he found out about this."

"Relax, Cissy," Andromeda whispered. "It is worth taking the risk and I believe you will concur once you hear what he has to say. Albus, take a seat."

"Thank you, Andromeda," he said, taking a seat across from Narcissa, seemingly unfazed by the wand which was still pointing directly at him. "I gather from your sister's reaction you did not tell her that I was coming or the purpose for my visit."

"Believe me, it is better this way," Andromeda laughed, placing a cup of tea in front of the bearded wizard. "She would have sooner left and faced the consequences of her actions than allow you to set foot in my home had she known."

"Ahh, still as headstrong as ever I see," Albus replied.

"Enough about me and what my reactions may or may not have been," Narcissa snapped. "Why are you here, old man? And why does my sister seem to believe you are the 'answer' to my problem?"

"Very well, I shall get straight to the point," Albus said, taking a sip from his cup and examining Narcissa over the top of his half moon spectacles. "There is a baby—a Muggle-born baby—who, at just a few days old, has shown himself to be very adept at magic. He is on the Hogwarts register already which is almost unheard of for a Muggle-born at such a young age."

"What does that have to do with me?" Narcissa asked impatiently.

"This child will have a great impact on the war and the wars to come," Albus continued, ignoring Narcissa's outburst. "He is no longer in his parents' care. On the day he was born they almost killed the boy with their violent outbursts. His fate cannot be left up to chance."

"And? Why should I care about some Mudblood?" Narcissa hissed.

"You want a child, do you not?" Albus asked. "Haven't you been lying to your husband for months?"

Narcissa shrank back in her chair, unable to believe that the crackpot old fool sat in front of her knew her darkest secret.

"As I said earlier, this child will have a role to play in the war," Albus continued, taking Narcissa's silence as her being ready to listen. "But, he must be on the other side for now. That is where you come in Narcissa. You will take the boy in and raise him as your own. You will have the child you have always wanted and your husband will have an heir, and therefore be none the wiser to your deception."

Narcissa sat there in disbelief. It was all too easy to have this child fall into her lap at just the right time. It would be the solution to her problem. She would be able to present a son to her husband and continue with her life with no one knowing the truth. But could she love a child with tainted blood?

"Cissy, you can do this," Andromeda said from next to her. "Your heart will melt the moment you gaze upon his angelic face."

"He's here," Narcissa whispered. Her eyes flickered between her sister and the elderly wizard. "Can I see him?"

"Of course," Albus answered.

Together they rose from the table and Andromeda led them through to the living room where a cot now sat in the middle of the room.

Narcissa took tentative steps towards the cot and as soon as she reached it, she gazed at the child who lay in it and, as her sister predicted, her heart melted.

"I will care for him," she whispered. "He will be my little dragon."

Narcissa reached into the cot and took the baby into her arms, no longer paying attention to anything around her other than the little boy she was now cradling.

~o~o~o~

The following morning, after staying up all night just holding and staring at the baby, Narcissa wrote a letter to Lucius to tell him about the 'birth' of his son.

It came as no surprise to her when a matter of hours later Lucius turned up on the doorstep of her sister's cottage, eager to see his son and heir.

Reluctantly, she handed the baby over to Lucius who seemed as instantly besotted with him as she was.

"He has my eyes," Lucius whispered. "And he has your nose. He is perfect. Our little Draco."

Narcissa felt her heart break a little as her husband continued to point out the features they had 'passed on' to their child, knowing that Lucius was seeing what he wanted to see.

"Narcissa, thank you for my son," Lucius whispered, kissing her on the forehead before sitting down next to her on the couch.

Narcissa forced a smile as eyes rested on the quiet child in her husband's arms. Her husband and her son could ever come to know the truth of how Draco had come to be part of their family. It was a truth that could never see the light of day.


End file.
